Bracket and clamp assembly



March 23, 1965 M. E. KEMPER BRACKET AND CLAMP ASSEMBLY Filed May 13, 1965 INVENTOR.

fix mm H z United States Patent BRACKET AND CLAMP ASSEMBLY Merle E. Kemper, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Christian Truth Foundation, Ina, a corporation of Missouri Filed May 13, 1963, Ser. No. 2393331 2 Claims. (Ci. -131} This application is a continuation-in-part of application, Serial No. 239,469, filed November 23, 1962, entitled Brackets for Concrete Forms, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to improvements in bracketclamp assemblies for tie rods used in the construction of concrete forms and refers more particularly to an assembly of a bracket and clamp which is attached to the ends of the tie rods to hold together and brace the panels and reinforcing beams or wales employed in the construction of building forms for concrete.

Difiiculties and delays are encountered in the use of the conventional type tie rod brackets and clamps because of complications arising in attaching the bracket and clamp to the end of the tie rod or in tightening the clamp, when it will abut and impose pressure only against the bracket and leave the wale or reinforcing beam loose between the form and clamp, or between the form and a leg of the bracket. Under such conditions when the con crete is vibrated in the form the clamps are often loosened and in some instances shaken from the ends of the tie rods.

The bracket and clamp assembly contemplated by the instant invention embodies a construction that eliminates and avoids the likelihood of loosening of the clamps after they have been tightened. They also lend themselves to uses where the conventional type of clamps and brackets are not expedient since the instant type assembly may be easily reversed or attached to the forms in an upside down position without affecting their efiiciency or effectiveness in holding the form rigidly in place during the placing and hardening of the concrete.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a bracket and clamp assembly which are permanently joined and are easily mounted at the end of a tie rod abutting both a reinforcing beam and a panel of the form when applied and adjusted.

A further object is to provide a bracket clamp assem bly which is easily hung upon a beam or wale of the form at the end of the tie rod and tightened or loosened by simply sliding a wedge-type clamp either to draw the form elements into position, or to remove the form elements after the concrete has set or hardened.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the instant specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views.

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a proposed embodiment of the invention mounted upon a concrete form.

FIG. 2 is a veitical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of P18. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, at It is shown a portion of a panel of a concrete form held in place by reinforcing beams or wales 11 and tie rods 12, to the ends of which are attached the bracket and clamp assembly covered by the instant invention. These assemblies are attached at both ends of the tie rods on opposite sides of the forms in the conventional manner so as to hold the panels or walls of the forms in spaced apart relationship according to the thickness of the walls to be constructed.

The bracket of the assembly comprises an inner plate member 13, an outer plate member 14 and an intermediate cross member 15. The inner plate has a semicircular groove 13a formed in its upper edge to accommodate the tie rod 12, and the outer plate 14 is perforated centrally as shown at 34:: to permit the insertion of the enlarged end 12a of the tie rod and washer 16. Likewise holes Ilia are drilled in the panel members sufliciently large to permit insertion of the tie rods through the panels when the forms are being constructed. The upper edge of the outer plate 14 of the bracket is turned back to form a lip or hook 14b by which the bracket can be hung onto the beam or wale 11 when mounting the assembly upon a form. Also tabs or tongues 14c are punched from the upper portion of plate 14 and bent around the sides of clamp 17, as shown best in FIG. 1. The clamp is a fiat metal plate cut away at its sides to form shoulders 17a in its upper section and 17b in its lower section. The cutout portions of the sides of the clamp along its longitudinal edges define the limits of travel of the clamp due to the abutment of ears 14c agianst shoulders 17a and 1712. A wedge mound is formed in the face of the clamp and running longitudinally thereof. This wedge 17c has a median slot 17d terminating at its lower end in an enlarged aperture 17s. This aperture is large enough to accommodate insertion of the enlarged end 12a of the tie rod and washer 16, if a washer is used. The lower end of the clamp is slightly upturned to facilitate the attachment of the clamp to the bracket and its release from the bracket when the concrete has set and the form is removed.

In mounting the bracket-clamp assembly on the form, the tie rods are inserted through holes that have been drilled in the panels of the form and upon the ends of the tie rods which extend from the form are placed reinforcing beams or Wales 11. The ends of the tie rods are then inserted through holes 14a of the brackets while the brackets are hung from the beams by hook-shaped lips 14b bent at the upper edges of the bracket plates 14. At the same time the clamps are slid upwardly along the outer plates 14 so the ends of the tie rods can be inserted in the holes li'e of the clamps. After the bracket-clamp assemblies have been mounted on the ends of the tie rods on both sides of the form, with the tie rod washers 12a properly spacing the panels of the forms according to the width of the wall to be formed, the clamps 17 are wedged downwardly, causing the tie rod ends to slide along srot 17d in the clamps so the plates of the bracket are drawn into engagement with the beams and panels of the form to hold them rigidly in position while the concrete is being placed. After the concrete has hardened it is only necessary to tap the lower edges of the clamps with a hammer, which slides them upwardly, releasing the clamps and brackets from the tie rod ends and their abutment with the reinforcing beams and panels of the form.

In FIG. 1 the upper part of clamp 17 is broken away to show a slotted hole or aperture 14d which has been punched in the upper part of the outer end plate of the bracket. Small nail holes 17 have also been punched in the upper part of clamp 17 to register with slot 14a in the bracket plate. A nail 18 has been driven into beam 11 through the upper hole 17f of the clamp and slot 14d of the bracket in FIG. 1, to indicate the registration of the clamp holes and bracket aperture. The use of such nail is, however, normally unnecessary in the application or mounting of the assembly but is employed only when the assembly is mounted on the form in an upside down position and then primarily to hold the assemblies on the forms while they are being adjusted.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention is well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinbefore set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it should be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention therefore is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bracket clamp assembly for tie rods used in the construction of concrete forms made of panels and reinforcing beams comprising a reversible bracket having upturned parallel end plates with an intermediate rigid spacer portion therebetween, the outer end plate of greater length than the inner plate,

an aperture only in the outer plate for reception of a tie rod end, the upper edge of the inner plate positioned below said tie rod,

a rectangular clamp having a wedge-shaped mound formed centrally and longitudinally thereof with a median slot lengthwise of the mound for reception of a tie rod end,

hook-shaped ears on the outer end plate of the bracket slidably engaging the sides of the clamp,

shoulders on the sides of the clamp above and below the ears to limit the travel of the clamp on the bracket,

an inwardly extending lip at the upper edge of the outer end plate co-acting with a reinforcing beam and tie rod to hold the respective elements in an adjusted position when the assembly is mounted on a tie rod and the clamp is tightened.

2. A bracket assembly as in claim 1, having registering perforations in the outer end plate of the bracket and in the clamp to receive a holding member which affixes said assembly to the reinforcing beam upon which it is mounted whereby loosening and spreading of the panels is prevented upon vibration of the forms and mounting and adjusting of the assembly in an upside-down position is facilitated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,902,744 9/59 Patterson et al. 25131 2,964,294 12/60 Irnonetti 25-131 2,967,689 1/61 John 25-131 3,030,059 4/62 John 25131 OTHER REFERENCES Engineering News-Record ad, January 21, 1960, page 59.

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Examiner. 

1. A BRACKET CLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR TIE RODS USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE FORMS MADE OF PANELS AND REINFORCING BEAMS COMPRISING A REVERSIBLE BRACKET HAVING UPTURNED PARALLEL END PLATES WITH AN INTERMEDIATE RIGID SPACER PORTION THEREBETWEEN, THE OUTER END PLATE OF GREATER LENGTH THAN THE INNER PLATE, AN APERTURE ONLY IN THE OUTER PLATE FOR RECEPTION OF A TIE ROD END, THE UPPER EDGE OF THE INNER PLATE POSITIONED BELOW SAID TIE ROD, A RECTANGULAR CLAMP HAVING A WEDGE-SHAPED MOUND FORMED CENTRALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF WITH A MEDIAN SLOT LENGTHWISE OF THE NOUND FOR RECEPTION OF A TIE ROD END, HOOK-SHAPED EARS ON THE OUTER END PLATE OF THE BRACKET SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE SIDES OF THE CLAMP, SHOULDERS ON THE SIDE OF THE CLAMP ABOVE AND BELOW THE EARS TO LIMIT THE TRAVEL OF THE CLAMP ON THE BRACKET, AN INWARDLY EXTENDING LIP AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE OUTER END PLATE CO-ACTING WITH A REINFORCING BEAM AND TIE ROD TO HOLD THE RESPECTIVE ELEMENTS IN AN ADJUSTED POSITION WHEN THE ASSEMBLY IS MOUNTED ON A TIE ROD AND THE CLAMP IS TIGHTENED. 